adjective
dissolute
DISS-uh-loot/ˈdɪsəluːt/
Given to pleasure without moral restraint.
He leads a dissolute life of heavy drinking and reckless affairs.
Etymology
The image of being loosened or untied became a moral metaphor: someone dissolute is loose in conduct rather than bound by restraint. The figurative meaning was already present in Latin.
In context
here are assembled the dissolute and the disenchanted the rich the noble the greedy by day lounging at the edge of the blue Mediterranean at night cramming the casinos
More examples
- She regrets her dissolute years of gambling and drunken parties.
- The novel follows a dissolute heir who squanders his fortune.
- His dissolute habits put pleasure ahead of every responsibility.
Forms
dissolute
dissoluteness noun — Habitual indulgence in pleasure without moral restraint.
Similar words
- debauched
- Emphasizes degradation through excessive drinking, sex, or other pleasures.
- licentious
- Focuses especially on disregard for sexual morality.
- self-indulgent
- Describes excessive gratification without necessarily implying serious moral misconduct.